Psychiatry

Mental illness is a medical condition – just like diabetes or cancer. At UCSF, we're committed to improving mental health through leadership in clinical care, research, education and outreach.

HIGHLIGHTS

Psychiatry at UCSF

Mental illness strikes people regardless of age, race, religion, education or income. The lifetime risk of developing a mental illness is 50 percent, with one out of two people in the course of their lifetime having either an episode of depression, a panic attack or post traumatic stress disorder, or developing conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or obsessive compulsive disorder. Failure to treat mental illness may result in any number of potential consequences: loss of productivity at work, incarceration, homelessness and health care costs due to headaches, ulcers, cancer and other diseases.

At UCSF, we strive to set the standard for superior mental health care. Psychiatry faculty members are recognized for their leadership roles in state-of-the-art, comprehensive and compassionate patient care, pioneering research, excellence in training the next generation of leaders, and advancing public policy to promote mental health.

With your support, our exceptional scientists and clinicians will be able to expand our psychiatric programs and further improve their quality – resulting in life-saving advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Provided compassionate and effective psychiatric care for thousands of adults, adolescents and children since 1942

Active at all major UCSF campuses, including San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center, the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and UCSF Fresno

Opened Young Adult and Family Center in 2004 – among the first academically based psychiatry programs in the nation dedicated to the care of transitional aged youth (12-24)

Collaborated with 14 other top-ranked academic medical centers to form the National Network of Depression Centers, aimed at improving research in depression, fostering multisite collaborations, decreasing stigma, and developing best practices for clinical management

"One of the main things we're trying to accomplish is the re-medicalization of psychiatry. Just like you manage your cholesterol and blood pressure, you manage your emotions." - Kim Norman, MD, Young Adult and Family Center director